I leaned in and kissed her. It was supposed to be something fleeting, soft, a physical gesture to show how happy I was for her, but like any time I touched Larkin, my wolf rose up instantly and I became aroused. My cock throbbed, feeling like a steel pipe in my jeans.
She moaned softly and opened for me. I plunged my tongue inside, stroking her, getting lost in the sweet flavor of her tongue against mine. And then I heard the gate at the front of the property open, followed by gravel being kicked up as a vehicle approached. I groaned in annoyance that I had to stop touching Larkin.
I rested my forehead against hers and for a second, we just breathed harshly. The scent of our arousal filled the interior of the SUV, and my cock throbbed again, my wolf growling, my mouth watering to mark her all over again. I saw the vehicle approach out of the corner of my eye and forced myself to pull back.
A compact car came to a stop in front of us, and the woman behind the wheel gave a bright smile and waved vigorously. Her hair was a mass of dark auburn curls that seemed untamable, and even from the distance I could make out the light gray of her eyes and splattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose.
Larkin noticed as well and started laughing. “I like her already. She’s enthusiastic.” Larkin leaned over and gave me a soft peck on my cheek, and then my girl was out of the car and meeting Bronwyn.
When the females smiled at each other and Bronwyn pointed to the forest, leading my girl into the woods, I stared at Larkin and watched her shoulders ease as she nodded.
I lifted a hand and rubbed the spot over my heart, the organ hurting in the best way. She didn’t have to say anything for me to understand she knew this was the perfect decision for her.
And I’d be there and support her every step of the way.
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
Larkin
I was pleasantly surprised when Bronwyn asked if we could do our first session in the woods.
“I love nature. The sounds of the animals, the smells of the trees and earth and fresh water nearby.” She stopped and tipped her head back, closing her eyes. “There’s nothing like being surrounded by all of this but knowing you’re free.”
I lifted my head and stared at the canopy, the breeze blowing the leaves, a bird flying overhead, and all the sounds of wildlife and nature that centered me unexplainably.
When I looked over at Bronwyn again, she was already watching me, this intense, yet open expression on her face.
“Tell me the very first memory you have, Larkin.” She gestured for us to keep walking, and so we did that in silence for long moments.
“My first memory?”
She made a sound of agreement but I kept my focus forward, thinking, drawing up my last memory and rewinding all the way back until I was a child.
“I was sitting on my bed and my sister was brushing my hair.” I envisioned that time. I hadn’t thought about it in forever. “We’d just gone to the lake. She was showing me how to swim.”
“What was your sister’s name?”
I exhaled as grief choked me up. “Brisa. It means breeze.” I laughed softly as I remembered when my mother told us the story of why they picked that name for her. “The weather was horrible when Brisa was born. Rain and wind. So much wind that shingles were flying off the roof, my father said.”
Before I knew it, I was telling her the entire story, reminiscing about things my father had said, how my sister would tease me. We walked until we found ourselves at the little cottage Odhran had built for me. The entire time, Bronwyn listened. She didn’t rush me, didn’t interrupt me. She just… listened.
“I’m not the conventional type of therapist,” she finally said after I was done sifting through all my memories and we stood at the water’s edge by the lake, the cottage behind us, a soft, warm breeze blowing. “Our kind, the Otherworld, it isn’t as if we’re conventional sort of creatures. Sitting in an office across from each other, with a notepad in my hand and asking rapid-fire questions isn’t going to help heal anyone.”
I looked down as the waves gently lapped at my bare toes. I’d taken off my shoes as soon as we got into the water, and let the healing properties of it help further comfort and relax me.
“I hope I’m not prying, but when Luna gave me your information, she mentioned you’d understand.” I didn’t specify on that detail, because as we stared at each other, her expression told me she knew what I meant. She truly did understand.
She nodded and slipped her hands into the pockets of her slacks as she gazed out over the lake. “We all have some kind of trauma in our lives, some of it not as intense as others. And some people can navigate their life around it, through it. But sometimes when the pain is too much, too unbearable, and lasts too long, it’s impossible to figure out how to live with it without some help.”
She glanced at me then and gave me a smile, one that was sad, one that told me she was part of the latter.
“And helping people is how I’m navigating mine.”
That sad smile turned into something of acceptance, contentment, and an empathetic pleasure that she was able to bring some kind of ease to others in their hour of darkness.
My throat felt tight and I had to quickly glance away, blinking rapidly as her words were so raw they ripped me open.